Vacuum cleaner



March 22, 1 927. G. W MINUTH VACUUM yCLEANER y Filed April 6, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l r h 1 Ma c 22 927 G. w. MINUTI-l VACUUM CLEANER Filed April' e, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 faz/672202? @m5222261 WZZ'PZQZZ.

i Patented Mar. 22, 19.27..

' -UNITED sTA'rsl GUSTVE WILLIAM MINUTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MAX I. HELDMAN,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS;

VACUUM CLEANER.

Application med April 6, 1925. Serial No. 21,116.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners of the power operated type adapted for the use of water and suds in cleaning and scrubbing floors, carpets, rugs, upholstered furfiniture and the like.

The main objects of the invention are to provide arr improved form of mechanism of the character referred to, of simpler and more ractical construction and better adapte :for general use; to provide such a device adapted for compact embodiment and free from the necessity of mounting part ofthe equipment on an upper floor or ma position materially higher than the workto be operated upon as required by machines dependent on a gravity vhead of water; to provide such a device of largely automatic self regulating character and adapted for ready manual control to insure eEective re lation of the How and discharge of t e water collected; and to provide such a device of simple form adapted for inexpensive manufacture, operation and maintenance.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawin s, in which: j

lgure 1 is a perspective view of a complete machine such as referred to. j Fig. 2 is a tplan of the device, the motor being remove to .show parts below.

Fig. 3`is a erspective view of a furniture cleaning nozz e.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the water discharge check valve mechanism. l

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewv of themachine, with the motor removed, the sup ort ing base and parts of the collectin tan being broken away to show more c early the pipe connections and their relative positions.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail partly in section of the ejector mechanism. Y

In the construction shown in the drawin s, the device as a whole is mounted on a .45 su stantially unitary base 1 of oblong shape in plan and provided at one end with apedestal part 2 on which is mounted a pump 3 having abelt connected motor 4 secured there'- to, as shown in Figure 1.' y0n the other end Athe pump 3 and is of said base is mounted a vacuum tank 5 and separator mechanism provided with an au' discharge `pipe 6 communicating with said pump. The said tank isalso provided with a water outlet passageway 7 extending through the base 1 and communicating h *way of pipe 8 with connections, (not shown which lead to the sewer. The said passageway 7 contains a gravity valve 9 which is normally/held closed by its own weight supplemented by suction in the tank. This valve 9 is mounted in an inclined positiom.

as shown by Fig.L 4.' Connected to said water discharge pipe is an ejector device 10 of the Venturl type adapted to generate discharge suction tending to open said valve 9 against the tank suction and the weight o said valve. rlhe ejector 10 is positioned and arranged to discharge into the waste pi 1w. 8. Said ejector is operated b a blast air from the pump 3, which is ed from the separator tank .5.-

If at any time, or whenever the air jet in 'the ejector is not suiicient to generate enough suction to keep the water level down to a normal level in tank 5, the water rises until it reaches the small pipe 11 which j branches from the air' pipe 6, and some of it iows over throu h pipe 6 with the air to irced in a spray with the air through the ejector and so enhances the pulling action thereof to withdraw and dis-vv charge water through pipe 7.

reason of' this provision ofthe water I B discharge positive control means, through.

the ejector 10, the vacuum tank may be assembled as a unit on the same base with the motor and pump all onsubstantially the same level and all in the same room oron the same floor where the work is to be performed, and is not dependent upon having a head of water to control the discharge valve action, as in devices heretofore coml monly used. l

In using the device, cleaned, as for instance a .carpet on the iloor, is'first scrubbed with -water and soap. Then whenready for the suction device the object Aie well saturated with suds. In order.`

the object to be to most efect'ually remove the suds together with the dirt, a suction head o r mouthc head 13 is designed for use on upholstered isV h the suction pipe 6.

A pressure gage 22 is mounted on the side furnitur The r(tribe 14 is detachably connected to the tank at 15, and when removed the aperture at 15 is closed by the cover, 16. The air and accompanying liquid and dirt carried thereby are discharged directly into the basket-like screen member or separator 17, which is suspended in the upper part of the tank 5. Access may be had to this screen or basket member by means of the -removable cover 18 on the top of the tank.

A pressure relief valve is providedat 19 on the upper end of the air'discharge member, whereby gutside' air may be admitted' to the pump in case the suction head becomes clogged, and thus an unnecessary load on t e pump and motoris avoided. Said vvalve is enclosed in a perforated cap, and the valve is mounted to admit air when the suction becomes suiiicient to overcome the tension of a spring which normally holds it closed, as will be understood. The air is discharged fro the tank 5 through a horizontal outlet 20, leadingdirectly to the vertical tube 21 which 4communicates at its lower lend with of the vertical tube 21 and indicates the degree of vacuum in the tank, which owing to the large size of tube 20 is the same as the vacuum in tube 21. From the pump 3 a tube 23 leads downwardly to the lower part of the base 1x where it communicates with the primary side 24 of the ejector 10. The secondaryside of the ejector communicates with the discharge tube 8 leading to the sewer. y

The motor 4 which is mounted above the pump 3 is carried by a supporting bracket 26, and the connecting belty or chain is enc losed in the protective casin 27.

Y From the foregoing it will be seen that the air and water, or dirt carrying suds, entering the head 12 or 13, is carried up through the handle 14 and on through the pipe 14 to the tank inlet 15, where it is discharged into the strainer basket 17. Here; the dirt is separated and the water drops to the bottom of the tank while the air is discharged through the outlet 20, pipe 21 and pipe 6. The dlrtlmay be removed from time to time by taking out the strainer 17 through the opening at the top.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be' understood that nu: merous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spiritof this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim/z v 1. -A vacuum cleaner device of the char-4 acter described comprising in combination a frame member, a ower pump mounted on one end thereof aving an intake and an outlet, a separator tank mountedy on the opposite end of said'frame, tubular means" attached thereto having a collector at one end adapted to take up moisture and discharge same into said tank, a separator in said tank to remove solid material from the air and liquiddrawn in through said tube,

an air passageway connected to the upper part of said tank and communicating with the suction inlet of said pump, a water passageway connected to the lower part of said tank land arranged todischarge surplus water therefrom, and va Venturi ejector connected to said pump outlet and arrangedl to discharge air under pressure into and through thewater discharge pipe to cause 'discharge of the water from said tank.

2. In combination in a vacuum cleaner, a vacuum tank, a separator in said tank to remove solid material from air and. liquid, an air pump having a suction -inlet and an outlet, a connection from said tank to said pump inlet, a suction cleaner nozzle connected to said tank, an ejector havlng a nozzle, a discharge pipe connected from the bottom of the tank to the ejector, a check valve in said pipe, and said ejector nozzle connected to said pump outlet.

3. A vacuum cleaner device of the character described comprising a vacuum tank, means to 'exhaust air therefrom, an intake nozzle and tubular connection through which air and liquid is discharged into said tank, means in said tank to' separate solid particles from the air and liquid entering sald tank, a liquid. outlet in the lower part if said tank, 4an air actuated ejector operatively connected to said outlet to cause dischar e of liquid against atmospheric pressure,'t e

outlet for air being in the upper part of y said tank, and an intermediate outlet being provided forthe discharge of.. liquid with said air when the liquid rises to a certain point in saidgtank whereby the eil'ectof said ejector maybe accentuated upon an excestank, a vacuum cleaner hose connected to in said discharge pipe, an eector connected the upper end of the tank, a strainer in to said pipe,lsaid ejector a connected to said tank below the connection of said hose, said pump outlet for operation.' l0 a vacuum pump having an inlet and an out- Signed at Chicago this 16th day of Oc- 5 let, a connection from the top of the tank `tober, 1924.

to said inlet, a discharge pipe connected into the bottom of the tank, a check valve l GUSTVE WILLIAM MINUTH. 

